The present invention relates to marine vessels, more particularly to devices designed to be attached to a marine vessel in order to affect the hydrodynamics and/or hydrostatics of the marine vessel.
It is not uncommon for a vehicle such as a marine vessel to be designed for a particular use and at some point be needed for a different use. This kind of situation is seen, for instance, when a military entity purchases a small craft for one mission, but needs to use that craft for another mission. The craft is suitable for its original mission, but is unsuitable or less suitable for its new mission, since the latter imposes requirements that were not taken into consideration in the original design of the craft.
For example, a craft designed to operate at a certain displacement may be subjected to loads much heavier than design loads, due to added equipment or armor. As another example, a craft may be designed for waters (e.g., in waves at sea) requiring a deeper draft and/or more fine entry, but is subsequently needed for waters (e.g., in rivers) requiring a shallower draft and/or less fine entry. Other examples of unforeseen circumstances include greater susceptibility to enemy attack (such as via waterborne explosive mines or IEDs), and greater exposure to damage or wear (such as via rough, shrubby, or rocky underwater terrain).
Accordingly, during its lifecycle a craft may encounter changed circumstances that render the craft less than optimal in terms of stability, structure, resistance, hydrodynamics, hydrostatics, and/or operation. Such shortcomings may be difficult or unfeasible to correct within the bounds of the existing craft. The determination of causes of and solutions to particular issues besetting the existing craft may prove to be even more costly than obtaining a new craft, usually an expensive and time-consuming proposition. It is therefore desirable to find practical ways to effect or facilitate adaptation of existing watercraft to emerging requirements.